The creation was paradisiacal. There was no mortality.
Death for all forms of life began when Adam fell.

Monday, December 12, 2005

No Death Before the Fall taught in2006 Gospel Doctrine and Primary manuals

Millions of Mormons carry the LDS Bible to Sunday meetings and few, if any, will even notice when No Death Before the Fall is taught in Sunday School and Primary out of the LDS Bible Dictionary next month.

The doctrine of No Death Before the Fall is now found repeatedly in Church magazine and curriculum publications, a fact that is thoroughly documented on this blog. The present article will provide additional evidence that No Death Before the Fall is no longer considered by the Church to be controversial or questionable.

Bible Dictionary “Fall of Adam” article

The LDS Bible Dictionary teaches No Death Before the Fall in several articles, including the one on the “Fall of Adam” (page 670):

“Before the fall, Adam and Eve had physical bodies but no blood. There was no sin, no death, and no children among any of the earthly creations. With the eating of the ‘forbidden fruit,’ Adam and Eve became mortal, sin entered, blood formed in their bodies, and death became a part of life. Adam became the ‘first flesh’ upon the earth (Moses 3:7), meaning that he and Eve were the first to become mortal. After Adam fell, the whole creation fell and became mortal.”

Origin of Dictionary and article

The 1979 and 1981 editions of LDS scripture were “prepared under the supervision of the Scriptures Publication Committee, under direction of the First Presidency.” (George Horton, Ensign, Dec. 1983, 27.)

“For nearly half a century the Church ... used an edition of the Bible published by Cambridge University in England. This was called the Missionary Edition, and it contained a Bible dictionary prepared by Cambridge scholars. Although that dictionary presented much helpful information, it was deemed advisable to produce a new dictionary that was more useful to Latter-day Saints. Though based on the Cambridge work, the Bible Dictionary in the new LDS edition differs from it in several important ways [including] Additional Topics,... Improved Topics,... Corrected Topics,... Deleted Topics,... [and] Corrected Terminology.” (Robert J. Matthews, “Using the New Bible Dictionary in the LDS Edition,” Ensign, June 1982, 48-50.)

The “Fall of Adam” entry was added to the LDS Bible Dictionary by the Scriptures Publication Committee, under the direction of the First Presidency. And while it is true that the LDS Bible Dictionary “is not intended as an official or revealed endorsement by the Church of the doctrinal, historical, cultural, and other matters set forth,” this should not imply that a committee of Apostles would have added erroneous doctrine. On the contrary, the disclaimer seems to be directed primarily at items “drawn from the best available scholarship of the world [which] are subject to reevaluation based on new research and discoveries or on new revelation.” (LDS Bible Dictionary, Preface; italics added.)

Bible Dictionary used regularly

In the years since 1979, many authors have found the LDS Bible Dictionary to be a reliable source of information and have quoted from it in general conference talks and other Church magazine articles. These authors include Church leaders such as President Boyd K. Packer and Elders L. Tom Perry, Neal A. Maxwell, Russell M. Nelson, M. Russell Ballard, Joseph B. Wirthlin, and David A. Bednar. In addition, references to the LDS Bible Dictionary are now found throughout Church curriculum materials.

Three 2006 curriculum manuals and two recent Ensign articles have recommended the Bible Dictionary “Fall of Adam” article and Primary teachers are asked to “prayerfully study” it.

“Fall of Adam” article in 2006 curriculum

The Sunday School 2006 Old Testament Class Member Study Guide contains this paragraph:

“From the days of the first dispensation it has been the practice of the Lord’s people to make selections from the scriptural utterances of those who are appointed to lead the Church and to publish these selections as formal and official scripture. All inspired sayings and writings are true and are and should be accepted and believed by all who call themselves Saints. But the revelations, visions, prophecies, and narrations selected and published for official use are thereby made binding upon the people in a particular and special sense. They become part of the standard works of the Church. They become the standards, the measuring rods, by which doctrine and procedure are determined.” (Bruce R. McConkie, Ensign, Aug. 1976, 7.)

Only official doctrine is binding and I've acknowledged three times (here, here, and here) that No Death Before the Fall is not official doctrine. However, I also believe that the doctrine is no longer considered controversial or questionable. It is accepted and believed by most Latter-day Saints. Want proof? Here it is. Millions of Mormons carry the LDS Bible to Sunday meetings and few, if any, will even notice when No Death Before the Fall is taught in Sunday School and Primary out of the LDS Bible Dictionary next month.